Shared Resources

SACSCOC Annual Meeting 2021

Workshop 4

Strengthening Outcomes Assessment:

Developing a Foundation for Different Outcome Types

by

Beth Wuest, Lon Olson, and Iza Martinez

Texas State University

 

 

Group Activity

Scenario:  Your college/university is scheduled for reaccreditation/reaffirmation with the SACSCOC in 20xx. During the last reaffirmation, you emphasized student learning outcomes in educational programs and reported only bare minimum information for academic and student support services, general education, and administrative outcomes.  Since your last review your institution received recommendations regarding administrative and academic and student support outcomes and successfully completed a focused response report.

Your institution has continued these assessments at minimal level of effort. Meanwhile, in the years since the last reaffirmation, not only has there been an increased public focus and demand for accountability in higher education, but SACSCOC external reviewers have become more stringent in their institutional reviews. Now, on top of that, newly detailed SACSCOC outcomes standards have been implemented and your institution has less than three years to demonstrate adherence to them. In response, you have been appointed to a newly established Institutional Effectiveness Committee charged with developing and implementing an outcomes assessment process all areas of your college/university.

 

Roles: 

  1. Recorder (Observer)

--Focus:  good listener, note taker of group interaction, presenter of breakout discussion with group at large

 

  1. Institutional Effectiveness/Assessment Director (Champion)

“This can produce some really useful change!”

--Focus:  optimism, potentials, short- and long-term benefits, the process, assessment building blocks, linkages, results

 

  1. New Faculty Member (Inexperienced)

“We can try lots of new things!”

--Focus:  creativity, different approach, “outside the box”

 

  1. Veteran Faculty Member (Resistor)

“This will get in the way of what I really need to do!”

--Focus:  potential pitfalls, time consumption, wasted effort

 

  1. Office Staff Member (Disgruntled)

“It’s just another management fad that will soon die or change!”

--Focus:  rumors, busywork, silly jargon, timewasting

 

6.  Associate Vice President/Dean (Mediator)

“Just stick to the facts!”

--Focus:  what is needed, how to gather information, keep committee on track, keep the peace

 

7.  President/Provost/VP (Leadership)

“It’s important that we demonstrate widespread participation, cooperation and positive results.”

--Focus:  emphasizes visibility and transparency of assessment process, plus institutional encouragement and support